Apparatus for alining rail ends.



F. LANGE. APPARATUS PoR ALINING RAIL ENDS.

APPLICATION vFILED MAR.18. 1910.

Patented J an. 7, 1913.

FelzlJa/nge mmsw UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

A FIRM COMPOSED 0F. ON-THE-BUHR, GERMANY.

' APPARATUS Fon ALINING m11. ENDS.

Specification of Lettersy Patent. Appneation medfuamn 1s, 1910. sel-iai No. 556,201.

Patented Jan. '7, 1913.

To alt-whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, 'FELIX LANGE, ject of the King of Prussia, rGrerfman Em# peror, and resident of EsSenon-the-Ruhr, 1n

the German Empire, 4have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Alining Rail AEnds for the Purpose of Bringing Them into Position for Welding, of which the following l is .an exact specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for alining rail-ends for the purpose of bringing them into position for welding, as by butt-welding, and especially to apparatus of this type in which means is provided for producing relative,` longitudinal movement of the rail-ends after they are properly alined.

The inventionl is especially adapted for use in connection wit-h the welding of rails together by the aluminothermic process, in which itis of the utmost importance ends to be joined be accurately alined in order to produce a good and satisfactory joint.

Tn 'apparatus of this class as heretofore constructed the devices employed therein have usually been adapted'. to engage the web portions of the rails, that is, the por tions between the head and the foot of each rail, and in such cases it has sometimes been diticult to bring the tread surfaces Aof ad.

into accurate alinement, eswhereL there has been any difference, however slight, in the shapes of the cross-sections of suc rails.

The apparatus constituting the subject matter of this `invent-ion is distinguished from apparatus heretofore employed for alining rail-ends chiefly by reason of the fact that the alining means employed has guide surfaces or alining surfaces which engage directly the tread surfaces of the rails and gage the positions thereof, and when the gaging is from these tread surfaces downward in the rail, the treads, when the rail-ends are welded together while in such alined positions, will remain in a common lane,

joining rail-ends pecially in cases and if `there is any slight difference 1n the shapes of the cross-sections of the vrails' welded together there will be no misal'inement at the tread, whatever error there is being lower down in the rail where it will not all'ect the continuity of the smooth surface on which the wheels have to run and vconnection with ordinary that the Y wherev it can'be readily corrected `or-othera sub-V wise taken care of if necessary. j This improved apparatus for alining railends for welding may be employed either in T-headed or bullheaded rails, or for alining grooved rails, etc., themain feature of the apparatus employed each case being the provision of allningV means engaging directly the treads ofr the rails.

This and other features of the invention -which will 'be hereinafter described and Vclaimed are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is. a transverse section of one type of apparatus embodying the invention, the-section being taken' in the line E-F, Fig.,2, and vshowing an apparatus adapted to operate u'pon'T or--bull-head rails; Fig. 2 1s a plan of the same; Fig; '3`is a side elevation` of the same.

Referring to Figs.fl-to 3 inclusive, .these views illustrate the type oflapparatus pre-f- KARL GOLDSCHMIDT AND HANS GOLDSCHMIDT, '0F ESSEN- erablyV employed for alining the heads of rails of the ordinary orbull-head type, two such rails being indicated at (L, a. The apparatus for alining the ends of these rails is preferably so constructed as to be capable of being secured as a whole to the ends of the rails to be alined. The main features of the apparatus are a frame adapted to beA to the rails and alining embodying secured directly means carried bythe frame and guide surfaces engaging respectively the tread surfaces of the different rails. These guide surfaces may be embodied in guides or'aliningmembers proper of any suitable type, these figures illustrating the construction preferably employed for bull-head rails. Two guides b, b are shown which embody at their under sides guide surfaces for contact with the tread portions of the rails. It will be obvious that the plane sur-l facesv for contact with the tread of the rail will serve only as a means for alining those tread- .surfaces with which said gui e .surfaces come in contact. l

It is important in alining rail-ends to obtain proper alinement not only in the'line of these tread surfaces butalso accurate alinement of the sides of the vrail-heads corresponding to the straight line or definite curvature which the track and its rails are intended to have.

' preferably in its under side a ,widebut comparativelyV shallow groove or guideway adapted to receive the upper portion 'of the corresponding rail-head'and fit over the same, 4all of the walls of this guideway constitutingguide surfaces for t-he purpose ofalining its rail .both horizontally and vertically of the track.

The guides or alining devices just described are preferably mounted in corre-` sponding guideways in the under sides of the frame of the apparatus. The main `members of this frame. are preferably two the guideways in t the type indicated endlpieces inthe form of yokes or saddles adapted to straddle the rails and recelve at their under sides the guides just described, which `such guides b, ZJ are received being preferably in the .under sides of these end-pieces, which may be of at c, 0. The other main members of the frame are preferably heavy rods d, d', mounted in parallelism with each other and secured to the end-pieces c, c in ,such a manner thatthe guides b b will have all of their guide surfaces, horizontal, vertical, etc. in exact'alinement with one another. Iheconnection is preferably made in such a manner as to permit relative movement of said guides, etc., for the purpose of adjustment. In the constructionillustrated the rods d d are mounted in long parallel guide-ways near opposite edges of the yokes or saddles c c', the construction being such that the alinement of the guides will be maintained whatever may be 'the relative positions of-themembers c c guides. For the purposeof obtalning and maintaining any desired adjustment of these parts toward or from each yother the rods al are preferably threaded to receive nuts, such as f, for moving the parts toward or away from each other and for holding them in such positions. These nuts are shown as located in cutaway portions of the members carrying said c c', the construct-ion being such that the cheeks of the nuts 'f are always in engagement with the c heeks of these cut-away portions. By turning the nuts in one direction or the other the desired movement of the members c c and the guides b b may be obtalned, the `nuts and the coperating cheeks of the parts c c serving to maintain such adjustment when the nuts have been turned to the desired extent.

The frame formed bythe parts c e and may be fastened to the rails a a connection with each of t1ve respectively by any suitable means. The clamping means employed is preferably such as to hold the guides b b firmly against the treads of the rails at all points in the lengths of the guides while' also. serving to clamp the frame as a whole in such a manner that there can be no relative movement between the frame and the rails either lengthwise or crosswise of the-latter. In the construction illustrated separate clamping devices are employed in the members c c',

three openssided clamps, such as g, being shown.- Twol of these clamps are mounted in cut-away ,portions of opposite sides of the members c c', while the thirdis mounted in a slot extending vertically through the same member. Two of these clamps are located at one side of the rail and the other at the opposite side, and each has a clamp screw for engaging the upper surface of the yoke substantially in the vertical axis of the rail, while the lower end of the clamp is vtoot-hed to grip the under side of the railhead. IVhen thesethree clamps carried by each yoke are tightened each yoke, guide and rail-end will be firmlyclamped together and the treads of the two rails and the side of the rail-heads will be accurately alined. If the nuts f are now'turned in the proper direction for drawing the yokes and their guides together the ends of the rails may be readily brought in-to engagement without disturbing the horizontal alinement of the treads'of the rails or the vertical alinementof the sides of the rail-heads. By means of this apparatus the rail-ends may be held in this position until t-he welding operation is nished.

What I 'claim is:

1. -In an apparatus for alining rail ends for welding, the combination with a frame, of alining means carried by said frame and having two guide lsurfaces lying in a common plane and each located at a distance fromthe meeting faces to be welded and c0- operative respectively with the treads of said rails, and means for clamping said guide surfaces to the treads of said rails.

2. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends for welding, the combination with a frame, of alining means carried by said frame and having a pair of guides lying in a common plane and each located at a distance from the meeting faces to be welded and coperawith the treads of said rails, and clamping means for coperat-ing with said guides and the' under sides of the rail heads and drawing said guides and treads together. Y

3. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends for welding the combination with a frame, of alining means carried by said frame and having a pair of guides nlying in a common plane and each located at a distance from the meeting faces to be welded and coperative respectively with the treads of said rails, ting over the treads and side portions of the and a plurality of separately adjustable rail-heads, and means forl clamping 'said clamping devices for cooperating with said guides to the treads of the rails. j I guides and the under sides of the rail-heads 10. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends and drawing said guides and treads tofor welding, the combination with aframe, 70 gether. of alining means carried by said frame and 4. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends having a pair of alined guides each located for welding, the combination with a frame, at a distance from the meeting faces' to be of alining means carrled by said frame and welded and each having guide-grooves lit- 10 having a pair of guides lying in a common ting over the treads and side portions of the 75 plane and each located at a distance from the rail-heads, and clamping means for copermeeting faces to be welded and coperative ating with the upper sides of said guides respectivelywith the treads of said rails, and the under sides of the rail heads and and a plurality of open-sided clamps for codrawing said guides and treads together.

operating with said guides andthe under 11. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends y80 sides of the rail-heads and drawing said for welding, the combination with a frame guides-and treads together. having alined undercut guideways therein,

5. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends of guides in said guideways for engaging for welding, the combination with a fra Ae, the treads of said rails 'each guide being 2o of alining means. carried by said framuhd located at a distance from the meeting faces 85 having a pair of guides lying ina co on to be welded, and clamping means for pla-ne and each located at a distance from clamping all of said parts together. the meeting faces to be welded and copera- 12. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends tive respectively with the treads of said rails, for welding, the combination with a frame and two sets of separately adjustable clamphaving alined undercut guideways therein, 90

ing devices, one set for each rail, for coof guides in said guideways said guides hav operating with said guides and the under ing vundercut guideways fitting the upper sides of the rail-heads andfdrawing said portions of the rail heads and each guide guides and treads together throughout the being located at a; distance from the meeting length of said guides. v faces to be welded, and clamping means for 95 6. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends clamping all of said parts together. 4 for welding, the combination with a frame, 13. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends of alining means carried .by said frame and for welding, the combination with a frame having guide surfaces both for the treads having alined undercut guideways therein,

i 35. and for one side of said rails each of which of guides in'said guidewayssaid guides hav- Y100 guide surfaces is located at a distance from ing undercut guideways fitting `the upper the meeting faces to be welded, and means portions of the' rail-heads and each guide for clamping said guide surfaces to said being located at a distance from the meeting treads and side of the rails. j faces to be welded, and open sided clamps 40 l 7. Inan apparatus for alining rail-ends for engaging the upper sidesof said frames 105 for welding, the combination with a frame, and the under sides of the rail-heads and of alining means 'carried by said frame and clamping all of said parts together, having guide surfaces both for the treads 14'. In anapparatus for alining. rail-ends and for the opposite sidesof said rails each for welding the combination with a frame,

of which'guide surfaces islocated at a disof a4 pair of alined guides carried by said 110 tance from the meeting faces to be welded, frame and each guide being located at a and means for clamping said guide surfaces distance from the meeting faces tobe welded, to said treads and opposite sides of the rails. means for clamping said guides to the treads 8. In an apparatus for alining rail-ends of the rails, and means for adjusting said for welding, the lcombination with a frame, guides and rails toward or from each other. 115

of alining means carried by said frame and 15. In an apparatus for alining'rail-ends having a pair of alined guides coperative for welding, the combination with a pairl of respectively with the heads of said rails and main frame members each having a guide a each locatedv at a distance from 'the meeting located ata distance from the meeting faces faces to be welded, each of said guides havto be welded, of connectingmeans between 12o ing guide-surfaces for engaging the tread said frame members for maintaining them and opposite sides "of the corresponding andsaid guides in alinement and for adjustrail, and means for clamping said guides to ingA them toward or away from each ,other the treads of the rails. while clamped to .the rails', and means for 9. In an apparatus for alining rail-tends clamping said guides to the treads of* the 12.5

`for welding, the combinationwith-a frame, rails. of alining means carried by said frame and l 16. -In an apparatus for alining rail-ends' having a pair of alined guides each located for welding, the combination with a frame, at a distance from the meeting faces to be of a pair of alined guides each located at a welded and each having guide grooves tdistance from the meeting faces-to be welded 130 and each carried by said frame and having alined undercut guldeways fitting the upper portions of the rail-heads, means for clamping said guides to the upper portions of the rai1-heads, and means for simultaneously adjusting said guides and rails toward or from each other.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

FELIX LANGE. [L 8.]

Witnesses OTro KONIG, WALTER VONNEGUT. 

